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"So, you're a...witch?" Buck stares at Eddie with his head tilted.
"Brujo," Eddie fondly says. "If you want to get technical."
They're sitting on Eddie's couch, which has started to feel more and more like their couch. Both of them cradling their beers with their feet kicked up on the coffee table.
Buck has that adorably confused look on his face that always makes Eddie feel weak in the knees. "Okay...well, I have a couple of important questions."
"Do you have any abilities?"
"If you mean something like telekinesis or mind reading?" Eddie snorts, looking away for a second before his eyes automatically find Buck's again. "No."
"Do you fly on a broomstick?"
"No."
"Do you a black cat?"
"I wish."
"Do you vanquish demons?"
"Someone's definitely been watching too many Charmed reruns on TNT."
Buck laughs at that, a warm chuckle that makes Eddie's whole body feel fuzzy. "You know it's the only thing that keeps me entertained before work."
"Right. How can I forget when I hear it blasting in my living room at four in the morning."
There's a lull in the conversation before Eddie speaks again. He clears his throat, getting serious.
"Thank you." He drops his head onto the back of the couch. His eyes closed, exhaustion taking over his features. He continues when he hears Buck's confused hmm. "For not thinking I'm crazy."
"I'll never think you're crazy."
It's said so softly that if Eddie weren't listening for a response, he wouldn't have heard it.
"Just wait until you hear the rest." And Eddie knows Buck might be joking now but will he when he knows the whole story?
"Eddie, go to sleep. You can barely keep your eyes open, let alone believe what I'm telling you." Buck grabs his wrist and rubs his pulse point. "Go to bed. I won't run away."
Eddie gets up slowly and drags his feet until he finally reaches his bed. He glances over at his clock. It flashes. 9:53PM. Damn, he feels old.
Buck jumps awake on the couch after dreaming about demons named Abraxas and evil witches named Tawatha. Okay, maybe he has been watching too much Charmed.
He goes into the kitchen to get a glass of water and stares at the pictures of his family that he built for himself.
While sitting at the kitchen table, he hears whispers coming from Eddie's room. He jumps up, his heart slightly racing. Could it be nightmares? Flashbacks? Nothing will make Buck forget that night only a couple of months ago that put the fear of god in him.
He cracks Eddie's newly painted door and what he encounters is something Buck never thought he'd see, yet he shouldn't have been surprised.
Eddie is on his bedroom floor. Surrounded by candles.
What. The. Fuck.
"Uhhhh." Buck can't even get any words to form in his mind, let alone his mouth. He looks directly at Eddie. Wait. Is he holding a knife???
"It's an athame, dumbass. It directs energy."
"Thought you couldn't read minds."
"Doesn't mean I don't know what you're thinking."
"So, uh, what-what are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing, Buck." Eddie is sitting in the middle of a circle created by candles pointing his athame at the ceiling.
"You want me to answer honestly?"
"I'm casting a protection spell on Chris," Eddie mumbles the last part, hoping that Buck doesn't hear. But he hears it loud and clear.
Buck makes a sympathetic noise before plopping onto the floor right across from Eddie. "And why are you doing that?"
"You know, for someone who just found out about all this," Eddie says while waving his athame around like a crazy person. Buck cups his hand and brings it down slowly, the both of them trying to ignore each other's blushing faces. "You seem pretty calm."
"And you like to dodge questions." He frowns and then taps Eddie's head softly, "What's going on in there?"
"As you know, this is his first week off of punishment, and he wants me to be...less...involved. And I'll do that. I'll do anything for him. I just need that extra reassurance that he's okay."
"Aren't you supposed to ask his permission before you do something like this?"
"Yes. Wait, how do you know that?"
And at that, Buck does what Maddie has deemed his Eddie Smile™. "I, Uhm, did a little research after you went to bed."
"Of course you did." Eddie can't help but smile. Buck wants to know more about his unknown life. "And what exactly were you researching?"
"Witchcraft in general and, maybe, a little about familiars."
"Familiars, huh?" Eddie is intrigued, to say the least.
"Yeah, I noticed you don't have one."
"Just haven't had the time to get one. I only started my practice when I moved to LA because my dad decided the Catholic Church was more appealing than his family lineage." Eddie looks down and sighs after that, feeling some shame. "My Abuela and tía taught me everything I know."
"It must be really hard with your Abuela back in Texas," Buck says sympathetically. "But on a different, much less depressing note...does that make you a witchcraft probie?"
Eddie laughs sarcastically. "You've probably wanted to call me a probie for 5 years now."
"I actually have called you one, just not to your face," Buck says sheepishly, then yawns as he glances over at Eddie's clock. It reads 3:33AM. "Anyway, I'm going back to bed, and you can finish whatever this is. But, Eddie, you have to let him go someday."
"I know, but that day will not be today." Eddie smiles, watching Buck walk out of his room. Hoping he would just lay in his bed with him.
"Goodnight, Buck."
"Goodnight, Eds."
Eddie wakes up to the sun hitting him in the face. He glances at his clock before jumping out of bed when he realizes it's 11:00AM.
He walks into the living room, and it is eerily quiet. Too quiet for a Buck to be out there. He checks the bathroom and kitchen too. No sign of Buck anywhere.
As he grabs his phone from out of his bedroom, he gets a text from Buck.
Come outside.
A little vague, but okay.
He throws his house slippers on and opens the front door. What he sees is melting his heart into a puddle on the floor.
Buck is holding a tiny black kitten in his arms.
"Her name's Abracadabra," Buck says excitedly, scratching her little head.
Eddie snorts. "And how long did it take you to come up with that one."
"I've been parked on the curb for 40 minutes trying out names, but that's beside the point." Buck holds her like Simba in front of Eddie's face. "She's for you."
"You got me a familiar." Eddie can't help but smile at that. Buck listens. He always listens. Eddie grabs her and holds her like she's a newborn baby.
"I got you a familiar."
After bringing the new member of the Diaz household into the house, they grab all of her toys and other things that Buck splurged on into the house as well.
As they're building her cat tree, Eddie's stomach grumbles. Loud.
"Have you had anything to eat today?" Buck stares at him knowingly.
"How can I eat when she's right here?" Eddie says. Moving his hand back and forth, playing with Abracadabra.
"Well, maybe, you could teach me some kitchen witchery." Buck gets up from the floor and pulls Eddie up with him. "Make a potion or something."
"You're an idiot." Eddie rolls his eyes and tries to ignore his heart racing at Buck's fingers wrapped around his wrist. "Maybe not a potion, but I can teach you how to make that special Bobby lasagna magical."
Eddie walks to his room and pulls out a locked chest from his closet. Inside the chest is a leather-wrapped book passed down from Diaz to Diaz since 1556, rocks ranging from colorful crystals to pebbles that Chris found at the park, an array of candles in many different colors, and nonkitchen-safe herbs.
He goes into the kitchen with the book in his arms.
"Is that what I think it?!" Buck is basically vibrating at the kitchen table with excitement.
"Lo juro por dios si llamas a esto un libro de sombras," Eddie deadpans. He walks right past Buck and sets his grimoire on the table.
"You do know I understood that, right?" Buck laughs. "Yo hago un delicioso chilcano."
"Yeah, yeah, I know all about your Peruvian escapades."
Buck giggles. He literally giggles and grabs Eddie's grimoire right off the table. "So, how exactly are we making this lasagna magical ?"
"Everything has magical abilities. People are just too close-minded to realize how powerful the things we create are."
"Says the man who doesn't believe in jinxes," Buck states, squinting his eyes at Eddie. "Or the universe, or ghosts."
"I believe in all of those things." Eddie shrugs, "Had to make a cover."
"I get it." Buck looks closely at Eddie, feeling as though he missed something. He knows now isn't the time to ask anything he changes the conversation. "Can't believe Eddie Diaz is about to teach me how to cook something."
Eddie lets out a loud chuckle, getting distracted from his thoughts. "Well, you already know how to cook it. I'm just making it better."
"And how are you going to do that?"
"Remember how I said everything has magical abilities? Well, cheese, in general, can be used for success and happiness."
"So we're making happy lasagna," Buck deadpans.
"No, smartass, we're making an abundance lasagna. Unless you want to make a lasagna that's just cheese?"
"Okay. Okay, so what else are we adding to this lasagna."
Eddie rattles off a list of ingredients to add to Bobby's famous lasagna. They spend the next two hours creating the perfect lasagna.
Once it's finally cooled off, Eddie places it next to a white candle at the center of the kitchen table. Eddie passes the knife to Buck so he can cut them both a slice while Eddie lights the candle.
"Let this bring us an abundance of all the things we want and hope for," Eddie says as he lifts his fork to clink the metal with Buck's fork. They take a bite at the same time, making eye contact.
Eddie notices Buck's whole face turn red and his pupils dilate. Before he can ask if Buck is okay, he feels a pair of lips meet his own. Buck is kissing him. His eyes have barely closed, and Buck is already pulling away.
"Wha-" Eddie is cut off by Buck's phone buzzing loudly in his pocket.
Buck reads the text as Eddie stares at him with soft lips and heart eyes anyone could see from a million miles away.
"Shit!" Buck starts rushing around the house, putting his shoes on and almost rushing out the door before stopping once he sees Eddie's worried face. "Maddie needs an emergency babysitter. The new sitter has the flu. I'll text you later."
Buck ponders for barely a second before rushing over to Eddie and kissing him on his cheek.
Oh no .
What did Eddie do?
Eddie stares out his peephole, waiting for Buck to leave his street before picking Abra up and hurrying to his truck. He drives to the one person who can help him figure out what the fuck he did.
Eddie steps onto the front porch of his tía Pepa's home, kitten held in one hand, and the other is banging on her door.
The door swings open. Eddie's tía has worry etched across her features, "¿Qué pasa?"
"So, you know how I was planning on telling Buck my big secret?" Pepa quirks an eyebrow at that. "The witch one, not the other one."
"Go on."
"Okay, well, we were making lasagna, and something happened and-"
"Edmundo, what happened?" She can tell her nephew is about to implode with the amount of anxiety she can feel coursing through his body and reaching her own.
"He kissed me."
"He kissed you." She's smiling. Eddie is finally getting what he has wanted since he was five. A fairytale romance. "What's wrong with that?"
Eddie grumbles under his breath and places Abra on the floor. "He kissed me because I cast a love spell on him."
"Eddie!" And he flinches at that, feeling as uneducated as he was five years ago when he accidentally killed all the plants in his Abuela's garden with a simple flick of his wrist.
"It wasn't on purpose!" He starts pacing around her foyer until he finds himself in her kitchen. She's not far behind, awaiting his answer. "One second, we were eating lasagna next thing I knew, his pupils were dilated, and he was kissing me."
"Eddito, what did you add to the lasagna?" She already knows exactly where this is going.
"It was just supposed to be an abundance lasagna. Like the abundance tamales Abuela made when I first moved here."
"Eddie, what did you add?"
"Uhm, basil, wine, coriander, cumin, and paprika."
"Honey, you didn't cast a love spell." Eddie's entire body releases all this pent-up anxiety after hearing those seven words. "You cast a love encouragement spell."
And the anxiety is back. Add a sprinkle of confusion.
"A what?"
"It's a spell that makes whoever you've cast it on bold enough to make the choices they truly want to make." She lets those words settle in Eddie's mind before she finishes speaking. "And you were his choice."
"I was his choice."
Eddie gets home a few hours after officially introducing Abra to Pepa and finally catching up with her.
What Eddie didn't expect to see was Buck sitting on their his
couch, staring at his hands that sat limply in his lap.
"How long have you been sitting there?" Eddie takes a few careful steps toward Buck, not sure if the spell has worn off yet.
Buck jumps up from the couch, eyes searching for Eddie's like seeing those caramel eyes will put him at complete ease. "Like an hour. I didn't know where you were, but I have a feeling I did something earlier that upset you."
"No, Buck, what happened today was my fault." Eddie is shaking his head. He drops his gaze, not even wanting to make eye contact with Buck. No matter how much reassurance his tía gave him, he still felt like a failure.
"Me kissing you was your fault? Yeah, somehow, I don't believe that."
"Icastaspellonyou," Eddie mumbles under his breath, hoping and praying to a God he doesn't even believe exists that he didn't ruin one of the most important relationships he has ever built.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Buck is trying not to laugh, but the smirk is hiding none of his amusement.
"I cast a spell on you." Eddie takes a deep breath after that, waiting for the downfall.
"What, like a love spell? Because, trust me when I say this," Buck pauses, gathering up all the courage he has left in him. "I, Evan Buckley, of sound mind and body, love you, Eddie Diaz, more than you know."
Eddie lets out a wet chuckle, tears in his eyes. "Yeah, that's the spell talking. I accidentally cast a love encouragement spell on you, and I'm so sorr-"
"Thank you."
"What?"
"It would've taken me probably another five years before I could even get the courage to kiss." Buck glances down at Eddie's lips and then meets his eyes again, "And I really want to do it again."
"Because I'm your choice?" Buck's confused frown urges Eddie to continue. "My tía said that the spell encourages you to go after what you want.
"And I want you." Buck steps closer to Eddie, filling up his personal space. He puts his hand on Eddie's cheek, rubbing his thumb back and forth.
"No one's wanted me before," Eddie says, and his voice cracks on the last word. Being wanted is such an alien concept to him.
"I do." Buck wipes the stray tear that has fallen down Eddie's face. He would swim through another tsunami if it meant making Eddie know that he would want him forever.
The conversation ends there. The tension in the room is palpable. The silence was noticeable but not uncomfortable. It's never uncomfortable with these two.
Eddie is slowly leaning into Buck without realizing it.
Buck has never been one for patience, so he surges forward, and their lips finally meet. It's not rushed or chaste. It's slow and perfect.
Buck places his other hand on Eddie's other cheek. Eddie is so caught in the moment that his hands are frozen in the air.
Buck tilts his head to the other side, deepening the kiss, and as he does that, he feels a breeze around him.
He slowly removes his lips from Eddie's, and want he sees around him makes him gasp.
The small objects in the living room are now floating in the air surrounding them.
Eddie finally opens his eyes and sees what's going on. What he's doing.
"And I thought you said you didn't have telekinesis." Buck smiles at him. A big toothy grin.
As the silence broke, so did the telekinetic link between Eddie and the objects. They fell back to the ground unceremoniously.
"I thought I didn't." Eddie looks down at his hands, furrowing his eyebrows.
Buck cups his face again, making Eddie's mind go completely blank again. He rubs the beauty mark that sits perfectly under his eye. "Hmm, no warts.
"You are so fucking stupid." Eddie laughs so hard that his whole body starts to shake.
If there's one thing Buck loves making Eddie do, it's laugh. "Yeah, and you love it."
"Yeah, I do." Eddie grabs Buck's hand and says what he's been dying to say since he was lying in the middle of that street, hoping for just one more second with Buck. "I love you."